Programme Summary

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The Welcome to the World programme is an 8-week group for parents expecting a baby. Parents attend the group from approximately 24 weeks of pregnancy. Topics include empathy and loving attentiveness, infant brain development, healthy eating choices, breast-feeding, infant care, managing stress and difficult feelings, promoting self-esteem and confidence, and the couple relationship.

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Programme Content

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The programme focuses on the following areas:

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Giving an opportunity to expectant parents to explore their roots, traditions, hopes and fears for the future

Developing strong communication between parents by sharing experiences and ideas

Increasing parent's reflective functioning and understanding of their baby: how he/she develops before and after birth, their physical and emotional needs, the importance of attunement, attachment and empathy

Increasing parents' understanding of their own emotional health and the need to nurture themselves to provide the best opportunities for the baby to grow and flourish

Enabling parents to think about their future as parents, a couple, a family

Increasing parents' understanding of the benefits of breastfeeding and the practical tasks of caring for a new baby

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Outcomes For Parents & Children

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Improving attunement and bonding

Improving parental wellbeing

Improving knowledge and skills in breast-feeding and practical care of babies

Parents reflect on their own values and their hopes and fears for the future, and begin to understand the needs and intentions of their baby

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Parent Testimonials

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‘I found it much better after doing the course. With [older child] I didn’t know what to do with him. I know there was a baby there and you know you’ve got to feed him, change him but I didn’t understand any of the interaction with him, that came much later. Whereas when it came to [baby], I knew what I was supposed to do.’

‘We thought we’d talked about everything but the course taught us to talk about more, discipline,

parenting styles—helpful discussions before the baby was born which we might not have had.’

‘It gets you thinking about stuff you haven’t thought about before. The emotional side, how you bring the